Netanyahu’s historic state visit to Brazil last week for pro-Israel President Jair Bolsonaro’s swearing-in ceremony highlights a continent-wide shift to the right that heralds promise for Israel and the West.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s Trump

Plans to confront China on trade

Withdraw from Paris climate

change agreement

Move embassy to Jerusalem

Loosen gun laws

Why Brazil matters

8th largest economy

211 million - world’s fifth-largest country by population

49% of South America’s population

This year in Jerusalem

“A question of when, not if”

Eduardo Bolsonaro (new president’s son)

But:

25% of Brazil’s meat exports go to Muslim countries, making this diplomatically sensitive

Embassy watch

Already there

US, Guatemala

Considering

Honduras, Czech Republic, Australia

Potential

Latin American states under Brazil’s influence

Hezbollah playground

Tri-Border Area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay is a haven for drug smuggling and money laundering, funding Hamas and Hezbollah

Venezuela is allowing Iran to develop missile technology on its soil

Evangelicals rise

27% of Brazilians now Christian Evangelicals, and 70% voted Bolsonaro

BBB: the 326-strong “bullets, beef, and bibles” caucus is now a majority of Brazil’s Congress

“Truth and biblical principles”

– Bolsonaro’s unabashedly evangelical manifesto

Red tide ebbs

Latin America’s new right

Argentina: Mauricio Macri

Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro

Chile: Sebastian Pinera

Lefties left

Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro

Bolivia: Evo Morales

Exception

Mexico: elected left-wing populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO)

Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 742. Sources: UN Data; CIA World Factbook; Datafolha; Brazil Association of Meat Exporters